Tray structure



Dec. 21, 1948. H. c. DEE

TRAY STRUCTURE I Filed April 28, 1944 1N VEN TOR.

Patented Dec. 21, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRAY STRUCTURE poration of Michigan Application April 28, 1944, Serial No. 533,202

4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to containers or boxes, and more particularly to a structure whereby containers or boxes may be fabricated so as to be shipped in knocked down form, and subsequently readily assembled.

Heretofore numerous attempts have been made to use sheet material commonly known as hardboard in the fabrication of various articles including boxes or containers. This hardboard material is formed of a plain dense, grainless, self-bonding ligno-cellulose fiber and is commonly available in sheet form from one-sixteenth to one-fourth inch thick. This material has numerous advantageous characteristics such as a smooth finish, resistance to moisture, resistance to chipping and abrasion, attractive appearance, light weight, adequate tensile strength etc. This material, however, is difficult to secure together at joints, particularly at the corners of a box or container since gluing or cementing requires considerable pressure and small nails or brads do not hold the material securely. In order to provide a suitable corner structure for boxes, trays, etc., made of this material, attempts have been made to provide corners of wood or metal. Wood corners have the disadvantage of not being resistant to moisture thus resulting in warping, and being subject to splintering. When wood corners are used, the box or container is not susceptible to being shipped in knocked down form. Metal corners have a disadvantage of marring or scratching other objects or furniture and of requiring special finish treatment.

To facilitate the use of such sheet materials as hardboard, plastic impregnated hardboard, or molded plastic sheet in the manufacture of boxes and containers such as jewel cases, cigarette and cigar boxes, powder boxes, letter trays, waste baskets, etc., where the attractive appearance and advantageous qualities of these materials are desired, there is needed a lock joint corner construction. Such lock joint corner construction must be easy to assemble. A look joint corner device which is easy to assemble will also permit boxes and containers made of these materials to be shipped in knocked down form so as to conserve shipping and storage space. These objectives are attained in accordance with the present invention by providing for such articles an improved corner device and corner structure which looks and holds the walls of the article in proper position on a base. A minimum number of fastening means is provided to secure the base to the corner structure.

It, therefore, is an object of the present invention to provide an improved structure for boxes or containers formed of sheet material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved corner structure" device for use in the manufacture or assembly of boxes or containers formed of sheet material such as hardboard and the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved box or container structure which can be shipped in knocked down form and which is relatively simple to assemble.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved box or container structure for using materials which do not chip or splinter and yet are not hard or metallic, and which will require no exposed fastening or securing members.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved molded plastic corner member for securing in position the Walls and bottom of a box or container made of sheet material.

Other and further objects of the present invention subsequently will become apparent by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein V Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box or tray constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a double deck letter tray or file constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view through one of the corners of the device shown in Figure 2 in the direction of the arrows along the line 33;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view in the direction of the arrows along the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the corner device as seen from the inside of a box or container;

Figure 6 is another perspective view showing the sides and bottom of the device shown in Figure 5;

Figure 7 shows another form of structure permitted by the present invention such as a waste basket; and

Figure 8 is a cross sectional View through a corner structure of considerable height or length as in a box or container of the magnitude of the waste basket shown in Figure 7.

In accordance with the invention a box formed of sheet material such as hardboard or plastic is Another application of the invention shown in Figure 2 which may comprise a double decked letter tray having a lower tray formed of a bot tom It, four side walls l5, and four corner: mem bers [6. The four corner members lfisupportfour spacing members I? upon which rests a bottom l3 of the upper tray. Four corner posts! 9. secure in position the four side walls 2!. of the device shown in Figure 2 will be better understood by the crosssectional view shown in Figure .3. Thelower tray in Figure2 is con.- structed in the; samemanner. asis the tray or container box shownin Figure .1. From Figure 3 it will. be seen that the corner post l6 has a channel. portion 22 inwhich is. positioned the end portion of a side wall 14. The. corner post l6 has a longitudinally extending bore 23 which is arranged to receive a screw 23 which passes througha suitable. aperture in the bottom it. The screw 26. may be oithe type having a resilient or rubber coveredhead. Atthe upper portion of the bore.23=there is mounted a connecting pin orlmember. 25 which extends upwardly above the upper shoulder portion. of themember Hi to engage alongitudinal'bore 25in the spacing member. H. The spacing member. It has a shoulderlike portion 2 6 which is substantially. complementary tothe stepped upper portion of the corner post it. of the lower tray. In the uppermostportion .of'the longitudinalbore 25, there is positioned anotherfasteningpin 21 which extends upwardly through the bottom 18' of the upper tray intoa bore 28 in the corner post I9 of the upper ray.

The particular manner in which the corner posts such as I3, l6, and"|9,operate to. retain in position the side walls and bottom ofa tray or box assembly will be better understood'by, referencet-o Figures 4, 5, andlfi. A corner post'siich as H5. has two channel portions 22' arrangedat angles to each other as shown in Figure 4. Each of the channel like portions 22 extends from the bottom of the corner post to the top where the channel is closed by a rolled edge portion 29; Each channel 22. is provided atone of, its sides with a tongue portion 3! arranged for cooperation with a groove orrabbet in the endportion of the wall member l4. Each of the end portions.

of the side walland thecorn'er'chal'lnel, it"may be said that the double tongue and groovelock ing arrangement prevents any longitudinal motion of theside wall member, From Figure ltWill be seen that the fillet portion 32" of the corner member it extends. from the bottom upwardly to within a short distance of the top rolled edge 29 so as to leave astep portion. The-step portion formedby'thefillet'fiz serves asabase for the lower end of a spacing member such as the member]? shownin'Figures 2and3', or asa stop for the four corner portions of a cover which The structure may be provided for a tray or box such as shown in Figure 1. Since a tray or box such as shown in Figure 1 requires four fastening members such as 24 which enter the corner posts from the bottom of the tray or box, it will readily be appreciated that the device may be left unassembled and shipped in compact, form for. subsequent assembly. The particularcorne'r post construction utilized is simple to assemble and yet provides an unusually rigid secure corner structure. Preferably the corner members are formed of a molded plastic material of such color. as to harmonizewith or contrast pleasingly with the finish of thesheetmaterial being used for the sides and bottom:

While the structure heretofore described is particularly adapted for containers and boxes suchas letter trays, jewel cases, cigarette and cigar boxes and the like, this general type of corner .structureis also adaptable for containers having much deeper side walls, as for example,

the waste basket. shown inFigure 7. The waste basket shown in Figure 7 has a bottom to'which is secured a plurality of corner post members 3 by a plurality of fastening. members 35' which also serve as resilient supports for the waste basnet. The. side walls 36, generally trapezoidal in shape, are retained between the corner meme berst' It will readily be appreciated that; it"

might be difficult to mold a corner. piece suchias shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6 of such length as to extend the. full length of the corner 34' shown. If such diificulty is encour1tered,"av

inFigure 7. possible solution is illustrated in Figure 8 where'- in the upper. portion of the corner post comprises a short corner section- 31 ofa length. commensu= rate to the pieces shown in Figures 5 and 6; The. corner post 3? is secured to a corner post strip" 38 which is similar in cross'section butdoesnot have the upper. channel portion closed; The" bores within the members 31 and 38"receive ase:

other boxes or containers.

From the foregoing it. will be SBBITllhat'thBIB" has been provided an improved cornerstructure' and'corner for interlockingly engaging: the side. walls'of'a box or container so as to facilitate the manufacture of" such articles out of'sheet material of a plain, dense, grainless; selfbonding' substance or'fibre including molded plastic'sheet material and'plain', dense, grainlesshardboard of self-bonding ligno-cellulose fibre, either'ternpered or untempered and in various "finishes as maybe desired. Since the plastic corner struc= ture does not require anyxsecuring meansother than'a single member whichextends through the" bottom into the bore: in the corner in order to retain the article inassembled position, itfwillbe appreciated that this corner device will make available boxes and containers constructed or such sheet materials which have heretofore not been susceptible to" c'onvenient construction and which, however, may have highly. desirable char-:

acteristics, as mentioned earlier in .this descrip;

tion, V

While for the purpose of illustrating. anddescribing the present invention, certain specific preferred embodiments have been showninthe' drawing, it is to be understood that the inven tion is not to be limited thereby sinceobviously" such variations and other embodiments are contemplated as may be commensurate with the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

This invention is hereby claimed as follows:

A multidecked letter tray comprising a plurality of trays each having a base and four side Walls interconnected by corner members, each corner member having a generally triangular cross section and two longitudinal grooves arranged at angles to each other, each groove adjacent one side having a projecting tongue portion adapted to cooperate with a complementary groove in the side wall, each groove of the corner member being closed adjacent its upper end, each side wall having adjacent each end a tongue and groove for complementary cooperation with a groove and tongue of said corner, each base being secured to its associated corner members by fastening means extendin through the base from the bottom thereof into longitudinal bore portions in the corner members, and spacing members mounted between the top of the corner of the lower tray and the bottom of the upper tray, said spacing members each being provided with a longitudinal bore for receiving fastening means to retain said spacing member in position.

2. A corner for interlockingly engaging the individual side Walls of a container to hold said side walls fixed relative to each other and to the bottom of the container comprising an elongated member having a generally triangular cross-section and two longitudinal grooves arranged at right angles to each other, each groove being closed at one end to prevent upward movement of the side walls and having adjacent its outer edge a longitudinally extending tongue adapted to fit into a complementary groove extending transversely adjacent the end of the side walls of the container, said corner having an inner portion of reduced length provided with a longitudinal bore for receiving at its bottom end a fastening screw passing through the bottom of the container to secure said corner and said side walls in position relative to the bottom of the container.

3. A container comprising a base and four side walls each formed of dense, grainless, self-bonding ligno-cellulose hardboard, a plurality of molded plastic corner member for interlockingly engaging the side Walls of said container, each corner comprising a vertical member having two vertical channels arranged at right angles to each other, each channel being closed at its upper end and having on the inner side wall of the channel at the outer edge thereof a projecting tongue portion, each container side wall having rabbeted ends for complementary cooperation with the corner member channel and its projection, each corner member having a fillet portion facing the interior of the corner and being provided with a vertical bore extendin longitudinally there through, each fillet portion being of lesser height than the remainder of the corner, and fastening members extending through said base from the bottom thereof into said bore for retaining said side walls in said corners and fixed relative to said bottom.

l. An assembled container comprising a base and side Walls formed of dense, grainless, selfbonding, ligno-cellulose hardboard, said side walls being of lesser length than the dimensions of said base, the end portions of the side walls each bein rabbeted to form a tongue and groove portion, a plurality of molded plastic corner members each having two longitudinal channels arranged at substantially right angles to each other, each channel having on the inner side wall thereof at the outer edge of the channel a longitudinally extending tongue for complementary cooperation with the tongue and roove portion of the rabbeted ends of said side walls to prevent longitudinal movement thereof, each corner having a portion of reduced length and of generally triangular cross-section with the hypotenuse located toward the interior of the container and having therein a longitudinal bore for receiving fastening members, each corner having a portion extending above the said side wall and being provided with a closure for the upper portion of the channel to limit vertical movement of the side walls of said container, and fastening means extending through the base of said container into said bore for securing said base and said side walls in rigid assembled relation to each other.

HERBERT C. DEE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 67,391 Wilcox July 30, 1867 157,399 Holmes Dec. 1, 1874 195,871 Zuenkeler Oct. 2, 1877 982,538 Senge Jan. 24, 1911 1,378,197 Schwab May 17, 1921 1,631,718 Campbell June 7, 1927 1,719,605 Gerberich -1 July 2, 1929 1,762,596 Soper June 10, 1930 1,932,772 Eschenbach Oct. 31, 1933 1,957,153 Smiley, Jr. May 1, 1934 

